Register now for free Miami Herald Business Plan Bootcamp March 17

Want to know what should go into a winning business plan? How do you pack the most important elements into a couple of pages? What impresses investors -- and what turns them off? We're here to help.

Whether you are planning to enter the Miami Herald Business Plan Challenge or want to refine a short business plan you already have, our free Miami Herald Business Plan Bootcamp March 17 will help.

Our panel of experts -- all with years of experience in business planning and capital raising -- will give you advice on crafting a short business plan aimed at grabbing the attention of investors — or judges. If you are planning to enter the Challenge, we encourage you to bring your entry with you because the panel can critique critical sections of the short plan.

This bootcamp will include tips, investor insights and question-and-answer time. This information will be helpful whether you are starting your first business plan, refining the plan you already have or getting ready to pitch to investors. You do not have to be entering the Miami Herald Business Plan Challenge to attend the bootcamp, but of course we hope you do enter! The Challenge deadline is April 5 (rules, judges' bios and other information can be found on MiamiHerald.com/challenge). I will also be on hand to answer any questions about the Challenge that you may have, and anyone with questions can also email me at ndahlberg@miamiherald.com.

The Bootcamp presenters, all Business Plan Challenge judges who are also serial entrepreneurs, investors and mentors, are:

* Melissa Krinzman (moderator), founder of Venture Architects, which positions private companies for capital-raising success, and co-founder of Krillion Ventures, a new venture capital fund that provides Seed and Series A stage funding to tech-enabled companies in Miami, New York City and San Francisco.

* Richard Ginsburg, co-founder of G3 Capital Partners, an early-stage investment company in South Florida, a former CEO of two publicly traded security companies, and a mentor.

* John Hall, executive director of Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses at MiamiDadeCollege, a new program focused on helping companies scale, and former managing partner or president/CEO of five businesses.

* Rob Strandberg, president of Enterprise Development Corporation of South Florida (EDC), a public-private partnership that assists emerging science tech companies, and a former CEO or director for tech companies.

The two-hour Business Plan Bootcamp will start promptly at 6:30 p.m at Miami Dade College, Wolfson campus, auditorium Rm 1261, Building 1. There’s no charge for the bootcamp but you need to register directly here or go to the event page at https://extra.herald.com/events/ and click on the Business Plan Challenge logo.